Philippines campaign (1944–1945)
By mid-1944, American forces sat only southeast of Mindanao, the largest island in the southern Philippines. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz had advanced across the Central Pacific Ocean, capturing the Gilbert Islands and most of the Marianas Islands while bypassing many Japanese Army garrisons. This strategy left those isolated garrisons without hope of resupply or reinforcement. U.S. Navy carrier aircraft conducted air strikes against Japanese airfields in the Philippines with little opposition from land-based Japanese aircraft. General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater, had his northernmost conquest at Morotai in the Dutch East Indies on the 15th of September 16, 1944. This location served as MacArthur's only base within bomber range of the southern Philippines. The Combined Chiefs of Staff met in Canada to approve a decision to move up the date for the first amphibious landing. They also moved this landing north from the southernmost island of Mindanao to the central island of Leyte. The new date set for the landing on Leyte was the 20th of October 1944, two months before the previous target date. Filipino guerrillas began to strike openly against Japanese forces during the Allied re-conquest. They carried out reconnaissance activities ahead of advancing regular troops and fought alongside American divisions.
On the 20th of October 1944, the U.S. Sixth Army landed on the eastern shore of Leyte under naval and air bombardment. The Japanese miscalculated the relative strength of American naval and air forces and attempted to destroy the landing forces using most remaining surface strength of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This resulted in a sequence of naval engagements collectively known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought from the 23rd of October to the 26th of October. The decisive victory by the U.S. Navy effectively destroyed the remainder of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The IJN had four carriers sunk, numerous battleships and heavy cruisers, and a large number of light cruisers and destroyers lost. The IJN was effectively crippled after the battle and unable to fight another fleet action for the rest of the war. While the Sixth Army advanced from the east, the Japanese rushed reinforcements to the Ormoc Bay area on the western side of the island. The U.S. Fifth Air Force and Task Force 38 devastated Japanese attempts at air attacks and landings of new supplies. Colonel Ruperto Kangleon's guerrilla units went into action after the initial beachheads were established. They dynamited key bridges to block Japanese displacement toward the target area. Information on enemy troop movements sent from guerrilla outposts to Kangleon's Headquarters was dispatched immediately to Sixth Army.
On the 9th of January 1945, General Krueger's Sixth Army landed its first units on the south shore of Lingayen Gulf on the western coast of Luzon. Almost 175,000 men came ashore along a twenty-mile beachhead within a few days. Army units pushed inland taking Clark Field northwest of Manila in the last week of January. On the 3rd of February 1945, elements of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division pushed into the northern outskirts of Manila. The 8th Cavalry Regiment passed through the northern suburbs and into the city itself. Fighting in Manila was protracted and intense. It took until the 3rd of March to clear the city of all Japanese troops. Fort Drum, a fortified island in Manila Bay near Corregidor, held out until the 13th of April. A team of Army troops went ashore and pumped 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the fort before setting off incendiary charges. No Japanese soldiers in Fort Drum survived the subsequent blast and fire. The Shimbu Group under Gen. Shizuo Yokoyama had fortified positions east of Manila controlling Ipo Dam and Wawa Dam. Without control of the Ipo Dam, only a third of the necessary amount of water could be supplied to the city. American forces supported by Filipino guerrillas led by Marcos Agustin decimated the Shimbu Group.
From mid-1942 through mid-1944, MacArthur and Nimitz supported the Filipino guerrilla resistance via U.S. Navy submarines supply runs and parachute drops. Guerrillas harassed the Japanese Army and took control of rural jungle and mountainous areas amounting to about half of the archipelago. After the American beachheads were established on Leyte, guerrilla groups attached directly to the Sixth Army at corps and division level. They assisted in scouting, intelligence, and combat operations. Colonel Ruperto Kangleon's units dynamited key bridges to block Japanese displacement toward target areas. They harassed enemy patrols and sabotaged supply and ammunition depots. Information on enemy troop movements sent from guerrilla outposts was dispatched immediately to Sixth Army Headquarters. Filipino guerrillas performed valuable service in maintaining public order and keeping roads free of congestion. Throughout the Philippines, U.S. forces were aided by Filipino guerrillas in finding and dispatching Japanese holdouts. The last of these holdouts surrendered in 1974 in the mountains of Lubang Island near Mindoro. Guerrillas scoured the Sierra Madre Mountains hunting down remnants of the Shimbu Group who were hiding or trying to make their way north.
The Seventh Fleet's large invasion convoy from Leyte to Mindoro came under sustained attack by kamikaze aircraft. Japanese air units were unable to delay the American invasion of Mindoro. U.S. Army engineers rapidly constructed a major air base at San Jose. Besides its proximity to Luzon, Mindoro possessed frequent good flying weather given its dry climate. This contrasted sharply with Leyte which received torrential rains most of the year making it very muddy and difficult to construct airfields. Mindoro was also the location of another breakthrough: the first appearance during the War in the Pacific of USAAF squadrons flying P-51B Mustang fighters. These fast long-range fighters provided a major victory for the 6th Army and the USAAF. They served as the major base for MacArthur's next move toward the invasion of Luzon. The U.S. Fifth Air Force and Task Force 38 devastated Japanese attempts at air attacks and landings of new supplies. By the end of June, remaining Japanese units were compressed into isolated pockets on Mindanao and Luzon where fighting continued until the surrender on the 15th of August 1945.
Upon the surrender of Japan, some 45,000 Japanese prisoners of war were taken into custody by American authorities in the Philippines. These POWs were held in camps around the country and used as labor for war reparations. Some units of the Japanese Army were out of radio contact with Tokyo at the time of Japan's surrender. It was difficult to convince some of them that the war had ended. Several Japanese troops held out for months and even years after the end of hostilities. Major Japanese officials including members of the Imperial Family visited in person to convince soldiers they must surrender by order of the Emperor. The final Japanese holdout in the Philippines surrendered in 1974. Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda surrendered to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on the 11th of March 1974 in the mountains of Lubang Island near Mindoro. Gen. MacArthur formed the Philippine War Crimes Commission while Pres. Sergio Osmeña formed the National War Crimes Office. Both offices supported each other in pursuit of war crimes trials in Tokyo and later on the Philippine War Crimes Trial.
Ten U.S. divisions and five independent regiments battled on Luzon making it the largest American campaign of the Pacific war. More troops were involved than the United States had used in North Africa, Italy, or southern France. U.S. Army losses on Leyte included 3,504 killed and 11,991 wounded totaling 15,495 casualties. Losses on Luzon reached 8,310 killed and 29,560 wounded for a total of 37,870. Central and Southern Philippines saw 2,070 killed and 6,990 wounded totaling 9,060. Total U.S. military deaths reached 13,884 with 48,541 wounded. Japanese losses totaled 320,795 killed and 12,573 captured amounting to 333,368 total. In addition it is estimated that a million Filipino civilians were killed in the Philippines campaign. The Shimbu Group under Gen. Shizuo Yokoyama held positions east of Manila controlling Ipo Dam and Wawa Dam. Without control of the dam, only a third of necessary water could be supplied to the city facing a humanitarian crisis.
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Common questions
When did the U.S. Sixth Army land on Leyte during the Philippines campaign 1944, 1945?
The U.S. Sixth Army landed on the eastern shore of Leyte on the 20th of October 1944 under naval and air bombardment.
What was the result of the Battle of Leyte Gulf for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Philippines campaign 1944, 1945?
The decisive victory by the U.S. Navy effectively destroyed the remainder of the Imperial Japanese Navy, sinking four carriers and numerous battleships and cruisers.
Who led Filipino guerrilla units that assisted the U.S. Sixth Army during the Philippines campaign 1944, 1945?
Colonel Ruperto Kangleon led guerrilla units that dynamited key bridges to block Japanese displacement toward target areas and dispatched intelligence to Sixth Army Headquarters.
How many Filipino civilians were killed during the Philippines campaign 1944, 1945 according to estimates?
It is estimated that a million Filipino civilians were killed in the Philippines campaign due to the fighting and humanitarian crisis caused by dam control issues.
When did Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda surrender as part of the final Japanese holdout in the Philippines campaign 1944, 1945?
Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda surrendered to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on the 11th of March 1974 in the mountains of Lubang Island near Mindoro.